Apparatus for manufacturing tampons

ABSTRACT

Improvement over the apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 3477102, which apparatus is used for the purpose of producing a rolled wad of material with a string depending from one end of the roll for use as a tampon, which prior apparatus includes a rotatable winding mandrel; a coaxial nonrotating winding tube superimposed on the mandrel; means for reciprocating the tube; means for feeding a textile fiber batting of predetermined size and shape to the apparatus; and means for tying a string about said batting, whereby the rotation of the mandrel with the batting mounted thereon winds the batting about the string tied therearound so as to form a recess in one end of the rolled batting in which the pendant string resides; which improvement comprises the winding tube being of one-piece construction with a guiding curve in the forward end thereof, for guiding the string into its proper position, which guiding curve has a circumference which extends over about 10* to 15* of the winding mandrel and has a radius of curvature of about 2 to 3 mm, and a planar surface extension from the winding tube side in a plane generally parallel to the long axis of the tube having a guiding plate at the forward end thereof whose front edge is substantially perpendicular to the tube long axis and is in the plane of an annular shoulder in the forward end of the tube.

United States atent Johst et al.

[ Sept. 5, 1972 a [54] APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING TAMPONS [72] Inventors: Wolfgang Johst, Gevelsberg; Herbert Etz, Wuppertal-Langerfeld,

both of Germany [73] Assignee: Dr. Carl Hahn KG, Dusseldorf,

Germany [22] Filed: July 30, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 59,399

[52] US. Cl ..l9/144.5 [51] Int. Cl. .,A61l 15/00 [58] Field of Search ..19/l44.5

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,477,102 11/1969 Etz ..19/144.5

Primary ExaminerDorsey Newton Attorney-Burgess, Dinklage & Sprung [5 7] ABSTRACT Improvement over the apparatus of US. Pat. No.

3477102, which apparatus is used for the purpose of producing a rolled wad of material with a string depending from one end of the roll for use as a tampon, which prior apparatus includes a rotatable winding mandrel; a coaxial nonrotating winding tube superimposed on the mandrel; means for reciprocating the tube; means for feeding a textile fiber batting of predetermined size and shape to the apparatus; and means for tying a string about said batting, whereby the rotation of the mandrel with the batting mounted thereon winds the batting about the string tied therearound so as to form a recess in one end of the rolled batting in which the pendant string resides; which improvement comprises the winding tube being of one-piece construction with a guiding curve in the forward end thereof, for guiding the string into its proper position, which guiding curve has a circumference which extends over about 10 to 15 of the winding mandrel and has a radius of curvature of about 2 to 3 mm, and a planar surface extension from the winding tube side in a plane generally parallel to the long axis of the tube having a guiding plate at the forward end thereof whose front edge is substantially perpendicular to the tube long axis and is in the plane of an annular shoulder in the forward end of the tube.

1 Claim, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEHSEP 5 l9?2 3,688,346

INVENTORS Wolfgang Johst Herbert Etz E W ,WMvs

Attorneys PMINTEQ EP" 8 m2 3 seams SHEEI 2 SF 3 APFARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING TAMPONS This invention relates to tampons. it more particularly refers to an improved apparatus for making tampons.

U.S. Pat. No. 3477102 relates to an apparatus for winding and pressing the overhanging end of a removing string against one end of a roll of wadding for tampons, especially for feminine hygiene, having a slide which serves for pushing the roll from a winding mandrel and which is movable parallel to the winding mandrel engaging a mat of wadding.

According to this patent, the slide is designed as a winding tube which is mounted in a coaxially displaceable but non-rotating manner on the winding mandrel. The face of the free end of the winding tube, which faces the mat of wadding or batting has an annular collar which forms the outer radial limit of an internal annular shoulder into whose plane a curve for guiding the removing string passes tangentially, the said curve being contrary to the direction of rotation of the winding mandrel and being arcuately disposed, at a uniform distance from the axis of the said mandrel, towards the end opposite the free end of the winding mandrel. The winding tube is externally tapered conically towards its free extremity. The width of the guiding curve is less than that of the annular shoulder such that the annular shoulder forms the inward radial boundary of the guiding curve. Towards the end opposite the free end of the winding mandrel the guiding curve with the annular collar terminates in a common surface that is approximately parallel to the long axis of the tube.

The invention offers an improvement over the above-identified patent in that the winding tube is of a one-piece construction, the guiding curve extends over a circumferential angle of only about to of the winding tube, the radius of curvature of the guiding curve is only about 2 to 3 mm, and the common plane surface that is approximately parallel to the long axis of the winding tube is extended redially outwardly in the area of the free front end of the winding tube by a guiding plate whose front edge extends perpendicularly to the long axis of the winding tube and lies in the plane of the annular shoulder on the face end.

While the one-piece construction of the winding tube according to this invention permits a considerable reduction of the manufacturing costs thereof, the extraordinarily small circumferential angle of the guiding curve and its very short radius of curvature bring about an unusually excellent guidance of the removing string when the same is wound on the winding mandrel. Furthermore, the guiding plate which is provided in the area of the front end of the winding tube and extends radially and coplanarly to the common flat surface that is substantially parallel to the long axis of the winding tube makes a very important contribution to this guidance such that the guidance is substantially perfect and repetitively accurate. It is believed that this is due to the arrangement of its front edge in the plane of the annular shoulder on the face end so that it compensates for the centrifugal effect which is produced on the removing string when the string is wound on the winding mandrel by the pulling of the knotted removing string by a knotter control pin, as a result of the centrifugal force acting on the still freely depending end of the removing string.

The invention is illustrated in the drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a winding tube according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the winding tube of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is top view of the winding tube of FIG. I viewed from an angle of 90 displaced from the viewing angle of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a section taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show the winding tube in relation to the other parts of known tampon manufacturing apparatuses as shown in US. Pat. No. 3,477,102, referred to above.

FIG. 5 shows the winding tube 5 with the forked winding mandrel 10 which is capable of coaxial reciprocating as well as rotatory movement therein, the means for winding a fiber batting, with a removing string, the means for feeding the fiber batting 7 to the winding mandrel, and the means for guiding the thread, and FIG. 6 shows the means for the rotation of the winding mandrel and for its axial reciprocating movement and for the reciprocating movement of the winding tube.

Referring to all views of the drawing, 5 designates a winding tube whose function and construction are described in detail in US. Pat. No. 3477102. Consequently those parts of the winding tube which are the same as those in the referred to patent have been identified with the same reference numbers.

The winding tube 5 however is of one-piece construction, and guiding curve 8 extends over a circumferential angle in the winding tube of only about 10 to 15 (see FIG. 2), while the radius of curvature of this guiding curve amounts to only about 2 to 3 mm (see FIG. 1). A planar surface 13 extends parallel to the long axis of the tube 5 in which both the guiding curve 8 and an annular collar 6 terminate. This surface 13 extends outwardly in the area of the free front end of the winding tube through a guiding plate whose front edge 70a is perpendicular to the long axis of the winding tube and lies in the plane of an annular shoulder 7 within the annular collar 6 on the end face of the winding tube 5. The guiding plate 70 is suitably welded to the winding tube 5.

Due to the very small circumferential angle of the guiding curve 8 and of its very small radius of curvature, the removing string lies relatively high on the guiding surfaces of the winding tube, so that the friction produced is minimal. The guiding plate counteracts the centrifugal action to which the extremity of the removing string that is released by a knotter control pin is subjected during the winding on the winding mandrel. Consequently, the guidance of the removing string which is provided by the winding tube is always assured when the said string is wound on.

As in the above-identified patent, the front end of the winding tube is tapered conically outward at 11. On the rear end of the winding tube there is a non-rotatable sleeve 17 which is provided with guiding pro fictions 18a and 18b located diametrically opposite one another all of which perform the same functions as set forth in the above identified patent.

The web of batting 7 is pulled by a pincer 9 in the direction of the arrow x from a supply of the batting, the rearward end of the batting being seized and held top and bottom by grippers 14, 14a, which are pivotable into and out of the gripping position about the axes 15 and 15a, respectively. The grippers 14, 14a, pinch the batting off from the source of supply by a pivoting movement in the direction of the arrow x, so that the severed edge 7a will be at the rearward end. In the position of the piece of batting 7 which is shown in FIG. 5, the tips of the forked end of the winding mandrel 10 project beyond the batting when the winding mandrel is extended out of the winding tube 5. After that, a thread transfer means 16, which is pivotable in a horizontal plane about its extremities 16a, has transferred the loop of a removing thread or ribbon 17 into notches 10a of the end of the winding mandrel, after a thread guide 19 fastened to an endless chain has first laid the thread from a tying device associated with the chain around a rotatable thread guiding cam 20 from which the loop has been transferred by means of the arm 20a into the notches 16b of the thread transfer means. The tied end 17a of the removing string or thread is passed over a control lever 21 under tension, so that the control lever actuates a microswitch by which the continuous operation of the device represented in FIG. is sustained. The control lever thus serves the purpose of determining whether the two ends of the thread have been tied together in a tight knot. in the position shown in FIG. 5, the batting 7 is released by the grippers 15 and 15a and by the upper member 9a of the pincers, so that when the winding mandrel can be set in rotation thereby winding the batting 7 around the mandrel. At the same time the end of the removing thread 17 is pulled into the gap between [sic] the'collar 6 underneath the guide plate 70 until the winding process has ended. Then the winding tube 5 is moved a short distance axially into the end of the wound batting and the removing strip which has been wrapped spirally about the winding mandrel within the collar 6 is inserted in an orderly manner into the end of the wound batting, the winding mandrel being pulled back into the winding tube at about the same time.

In FIG. 6, the winding mandrel 10 constitutes the end of a shaft 21 on which an elongate, straight-toothed pinion 22 is fastened. Shaft 21 is mounted in the machine housing 23 at 24 and 25. The rearward end of shaft 21 is mounted in a rotatable but axially undisplaceable manner in a sleeve 26. The sleeve is provided at two diametrically opposite sides with a pin 27 which is loosely engaged by a slot 28 in an operating lever 29. The operating lever is mounted for pivoting about a fixed point 30 and is provided at its other extremity with a cam follower roll 31 which is urged against the cam 34 by a tension spring 32 which engages the other end of the lever at 33. The cam 34 is mounted on a shaft 35 on which there is located a pulley 36 which is connected by an endless, flexible driving means 37 to a pulley 38. The pulley 38 is located on a shaft 39 which is connected by a step-down transmission, which is not illustrated, to a motor which also is not illustrated. The rotatory motion of cam 34 causes lever 29 to move back and forth in a vertical plane, so that this movement is transformed by the pins 27 into an axial reciprocating movement of the shaft 21 of winding mandrel 10.

The pinion 22 on shaft 21 is elongate in such a manner as to remain in engagement with a rack 40 over the en ire axigl stroke len th of shaft 21. Rack 0 is vertic y gut e In an a propriate manner an its upper end is provided with a pin 41 which engages a slot 42 in the end of a control lever 43 which is rotatable about a fixed point 44. The slotted end of the control lever 43 is joined at 45 to one end of a tension spring 46 whose other end is attached to a fixed point 47. The end of the control lever opposite the slotted end is also provided with a cam follower 48 riding upon a cam 49 on shaft 50. To shaft 50 there is also fastened a pulley S1 for an endless, flexible driving means 52 which is driven by a pulley located on shaft 39 behind the pulley 38. It can be seen that the cam 49 of the control lever 43 moves the rack 40 upwardly and downwardly so that the winding mandrel It) performs a rotatory movement in alternating opposite directions.

The rearward end of the winding tube 5 is affixed by means of a horizontally disposed link 53 to the forward end of a plunger 54 extending parallel to and at a distance from shaft 21 and mounted at 55 and 56 in an axially displaceable manner in the apparatus. The plunger 54 is provided with a lateral projection 57 to which a tension spring 58 is attached whose other end is attached to the fixed point 59. The rearward end of the plunger is provided with a cam follower 60 which is urged by the tension spring 58 into constant engagement with a cam 61. The cam 61 is located on a shaft 62 which is also provided with a pulley 63 for a flexible driving means 64. The driving means 64 can be driven through an additional pulley (not shown) on the shaft 39. By the rotation of cam 61 the winding tube 5 is cyclically moved back and forth on shaft 21 coaxially with the latter, so that the spirally would removing string can be fixed in the end of the tampon, as described.

What is claimed is;

1. In an apparatus for forming tampons with a withdrawal string attached thereto including a winding mandrel, a winding sleeve on said mandrel non-rotatable with respect to said mandrel and coaxially displaceable with respect thereto, means for rotating the mandrel and winding sleeve as a unit, means for tying a removal string about a textile fiber batting of predetermined size and shape so that the loop of said string time about said batting is substantially parallel to the long axis of said mandrel and sleeve, and means for feeding said tied batting to said mandrel where the rotation thereof winds the batting into a roll about that portion having the string looped therearound, wherein said sleeve has an annular shoulder at thev forward end thereof, a string guide means at the forward end and a surface extending from the side thereof in a plane substantially parallel to the long axis of said mandrel and sleeve; the improvement which comprises said string guide occupying about 10 to 15 of sleeve circumference and having a radius of curvature of about 2 to 3 mm and a guiding plate extending radially and coplanarly with said surface, which plate has a forward edge at the forward end thereof substantially perpendicular to the long axis of the mandrel and sleeve.

Disclaimer 3,688,346.-WOZfgang Jaiwt, Gevelsberg, and Herbert E t2, Wuppertal- Langerfeld, Germany. APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING (1 Sept. 5, 1972. Disclaimer filed Aug. 27,

TAMPONS. Patent date 1979, by the assignee, D1. 0 art H aim, G.m.b.H.

Hereby enters this disclaimer to claim 1 of said patent.

[Oyficial Gazette September 9, 1.980.] 

1. In an apparatus for forming tampons with a withdrawal string attached thereto including a winding mandrel, a winding sleeve on said mandrel non-rotatable with respect to said mandrel and coaxially displaceable with respect thereto, means for rotating the mandrel and winding sleeve as a unit, means for tying a removal string about a textile fiber batting of predetermined size and shape so that the loop of said string time about said batting is substantially parallel to the long axis of said mandrel and sleeve, and means for feeding said tied batting to said mandrel where the rotation thereof winds the batting into a roll about that portion having the string looped therearound, wherein said sleeve has an annular shoulder at the forward end thereof, a string guide means at the forward end and a surface extending from the side thereof in a plane substantially parallel to the long axis of said mandrel and sleeve; the improvement which comprises said string guide occupying about 10* to 15* of sleeve circumference and having a radius of curvature of about 2 to 3 mm and a guiding plate extending radially and coplanarly with said surface, which plate has a forward edge at the forward end thereof substantially perpendicular to the long axis of the mandrel and sleeve. 